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East Ukraine Orders Jews to Register

Pro-Russian militants in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk have circulated a leaflet requiring all Jews of Donetsk who are over 16 to “register” their Jewish identity with the government.

The flyer, handed out by three masked men to Jews exiting synagogue, instructs its Jewish readers that an “ID and passport are required to register your Jewish religion,” and that they should bring “religious documents of family members, as well as documents establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you, including vehicles.”

The leaflets were approved by Denis Pushilin, who is identified as a chairman of “Donetsk’s temporary government.” Secretary of State, John Kerry, labeled the incident as “grotesque.”

“It is beyond unacceptable,” Kerry said. “And any of the people who engage in these kinds of activities — from whatever party or whatever ideology or whatever place they crawl out of — there is no place for that.”

Beyond unacceptable is right. Though there is speculation that the leaflet is being proposed as a political tactic, it’s still pretty awful. And what is the consequence if you don’t comply with this daunting request? Deportation.